Machine for tying valve-sacks.



.S. A. WELLMAN.

MACHINE FOR TYING VALVE SACKS. APPLICATION man JUNE 19. 1916.

I Patented June 12, 191].

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Inventor) s A. WELLMAN. MACHINE FOR TYING VALVE SACKS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9. 1916.

Patented June 12,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2-.

Witnesses s. WELLMAN. MACHINE FOR TYING VALVE SACKS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9. 1916:

Patentd'June f2, 1917.

4 $HEETS-SHEET 3 lnvento Attorneys S. A. WELLMAN\. MACHINE FOR TYING VALVE SACKS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 961' Patented June 12, 1917.

4 SHEER-SHEET 4- Witnesses Attorneys,

FFIC I? SETH A. WELLMAN, OF M ASO N CITE, IOWA.

macnmn non. 'rrme VALVE-SAC To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SETH A. WELLMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mason City, in the county of Cerro Gordo and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Machine for Tying Valve-Sacks, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine for expeditiously and efiectively tying or closing the necks of valve sacks prior to the filling thereof, the tied sacks being furnished to the miller or dealer in that form, so that the filling of the sacks will constitute the completion of the packaging of .the material; and a further object 1s to provide an apparatus of this type wherein the consecutive operations are timed to insure accuracy and minimize the responsibility of the attendant. Further objects of the invention will appear in the following description of a preferred embOdiment of the invention, it being understood that changes in form, proportions, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.-

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, partly in side elevation, of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken from the opposite side of the machine, the same being partly broken away and showing the means for operating the carrier and the shuttle.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional 'view on the A line 44 of- Fig. 2 to show the mechanism for intermittently and reversibly operating the twister. head.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the shuttle and twister head in the ositions which they cupy as the tie wire 1s adapted to be engaged and cut. ,I

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the parts illustrated in Fig.5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the same parts as in Figs. and 6, with the shuttle arranged in the position which it occupies 4 in delivering the'end of the tie wire, prior to. the twist, to the twister-head.

Fig. 8 is a face view of the twister head. The illustrated machine embodies essentially a carrier provided with sack holders 11 and adapted to be operated intermit- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 12, 191?, Application filed June 19, 1918. Serial N0 104,502.

tently or step by step to successively present the holders with the contained sack nets to a twister mechanism 12 which is threaded bV means of an intermittently'movable osthe same from the supply reel 16, to carry the end of said wire around the held neck of the sack 17 as illustrated 'in Fig. 7, and deliver the same to the twister head preparatory 'to a further operation of said twister.

v In the machine illustrated, the carrier is of the rotary type consisting of a table 18 to which is imparted intermittent motion from a main shaft 19 through a counter shaft 20 geared to the main shaft, a spud shaft 21, in turn geared to' the countershaft and carrying a tappet arm 22, a rocking lever 23 fulcrumed as at 24 to the supporting frame 25, and connected with a feed pawl 26 which is adapted during its forward movement to engage notches or ratchet teeth 27 on a flange 28 depending from the table, said rocking lever being returned to its normal position by means of a spring 29 after each active operation by means of the tappet arm 22. a

The table of the carrier is provided with a series of sack holders 11 having outer 38, whereby as the stems receive reciprocatorv movement due to the engagement thereof by the cam 37, the jaws aremutually moved toward or from each other. In

the construction illustrated, the guides 35 consist of sleeves secured to the upper sur- 7 face of the table and are provided with slots 39, in which operate pins 40 projecting from the stems. Preferably the holders 11 remain closed during the greater portion of the path of travel thereof and are opened at or about the point A indicated in Fig. 1,

.80 that the sacks are released or delivered at one point to facilitate the bundling thereof, While the filling of the holders or the engagement therewith of the neck of a sack .to be tied, may take place at or about the star wheel type, supported by an arm 42 projecting from the frame 43 and adapted to offer suflicient resistance to the forward 'movement of the sack necksto insure the proper holding and compacting thereof in the opening between the jaws of the holders.

In order that the table 18 may be firmly held in position when at rest, and during the tying of the sacks, there may be employed a locking lever 44 pivotally mounted upon the frame 25 as at 45 and having a nose 46 for engagement with sockets 47 in a flange 48 depending from the table, said locking lever being connected with a slide 49 also mounted upon the frame 25 and having connected therewith an arm 50 which is arranged in the path of a tappet arm 51 carried'by the counter shaft 20'. The parts are so arranged that just prior to the engagement of the tappet 22 with the rocking lever 23 through which motion is communicated to the feed pawl 26, the locking device or latch 46 is tripped, to release the table, by means of the arm 51, and immediately the arm 50 is moved in the opposite direction by the spring 52, whereby the latch is held in readiness to engage the next succeeding notch or socket 47 to' again lock the table against movement.

The sacks respectively engaged by the holders of the table are presented successively, and through the described intermittent'or step-by-step movement of the table, to the tying mechanism which consists, in the construction illustrated, of telescoped outer and inner tubes 53 and 54 carrying respectively the disks 56 and 55 which constitute the twister head and are normally arranged in contact with theirwire-engaging notches in registration. These engaging means consist of comparatively shallow guiding notches 57 and 58 formed respectively in the disks 55 and 56 and to which the tie wire is led from registering guide openings 59 and 60 in the tubular shafts 53 and 54 of the twister head, and'relatively deep notches or slots 61 and 62, located, in

the drawings, diametrically opposite the notches 57 and 58 and as hereinafter explained constituting clamping jaws for engagement with the free end of the tie wire as shown in Fig. 7, preliminary to the twisting operation.

Rotary motion is communicated to the exterior tubular shaft 53 through the agency ries a 'cross head or tappet arm 69 for engagement alternately with tappets 70 and 71 secured to a slide 72 which in turn is connected with the lower arm of said rocking lever. An extension of the tappet arm 69 in the opposite direction from the drive shaft constitutes a limiting arm 73, which is arranged in the path of one tappet as the other is being actuated by the tappet arm, to prevent overthrow or excessive movement of the slide and hence of the segment 66. It will be noted that in the operation of the twister the heads by reason of the oscillatory movement. of the rack 66, are alternately twisted in opposite directions, to avoid imparting a permanent twist in one direction to the tie wire which is led through the tu bular twister head shafts from the tension roll 74 after leaving the reelv or spool 16, said tie wire extending from the bore ofthe inner tubular shaft through the registering apertures or guide openings 60' and 59, as clearly illustrated in Figs.'6 and 7.

In operation the twister heads receive a definite number of revolutions for each operation, preferably three, andin order that the wire engaging means of the twister heads heads, the inner tubular shaft is provided with a weight 175.

The remaining essential feature of the apparatus consists of the shuttle designed to engage the free end of the tie wire as-it protrudes from the guide openings 59 and 60 of the twister shafts and carry it through an orbital path around the projecting upper edge of the neck of a sack engaged by the presenting holder, and place it in the registering notches or slots 61 and 62 constituting the clamping jaws, and thereby forming a loop to be converted into a tie by the rotation of the twister head. The shuttle emcrank shaft of which the upper, 76,. of two parallel arms is mounted in a suitable bracket 77 and carries a pinion 78, while the lower, 79, of said parallel arms has mounted thereon the shuttle block 80, yieldingly held in a definite posit-ion, rotatably, with reference to'the spindle 79, by means of a spring 81. This shuttle block is provided with wireengaging jaws 82 and 83, of which the former, in the construction illustrated, is stationary with reference to the shuttle block while the other is pivotally mounted thereon as at 84 and'is provided with a tail 85 adapted to be actuated to close the jaws so as to grip the extremity of the tie wire. For convenience in operation and simplicity in construction, the wire gripping jaws of the shuttle block also constitute a wire cutter, by providing a shear plate 86 with which the movable 'aw of the gripper coiiperates thereby detac ing from the body of the he wire that portion which has been subjected to the operation of the twister, and which .forms a part of the tie engagmg the neck of the sack. The relations of the parts inoperation at this point will be clearly indicated b referenceto Fig. 6. As the grip er is cl osed, the operations of severing t e tie from the body of the wire and clamping the free end of the Wire preparatory to carrying the same around the neck of the succeeding sack, are accomplished simultaneously.

Oscillatory, or swinging-movement alternately in opposite directions, is imparted to the orbital member of the shuttle by means of a reciprocatory rack 86 which is permanently in mesh with-the pinion 78, and receives motion from thecrank disk 87 carried by the countershaft 20, said crank disk having a continuous. rotary motion, and inasmuch as the shuttle block 80 is swiveled upon the spindle of the orbital member, the tension of the tie wire as it is drawn from the reel causes the said shuttle block to assume a position withthe gripping jaws in line of strain or resistance, against the tension of the spring 81 whereby the shuttle block is reversed in position so far as the directlon of the jaws are concerned during the move ment around the neck of the sack, whereby.

when the shuttle reaches the position shown in Fig. 7 at the opposite side of the twister head, the block is reversed, and the tie wire,

between the gripping jaws and the neck of the sack is passed into the slot constituting the jaws of the twister head. Rotary motion now being applied to the exterior tubular shaft of the twister head causes the twister head jaws to grip the tie' wire, because the turning movement of the inner tubular shaft to which the counter weight 175 is attached, is resisted. This resistance brings the twister head jaws into firm engagement with the tie wire and this engagement remains until the rotation of the twister head has been completed. As soon as the active twister head disk reaches its normal position, the counter weight brings the other twister head disk to its normal position,

thereby opening the wire-engaging jaws of the twister head and releasing the tie wire.

As soon as the shuttle jaws are disengaged from the extremity of the tie wire, after placing the same in the jaws of the twister head, this release being accomplished by means of a cam 88 engaging under and raising the tail 85 of the shuttle clamp, the

shuttle block is free to turn under the influence of the spring 81 to restore 1t to 1ts original position with reference to the orbital arm. In order to accurately position the shuttle block, in both of its locations at opposite sides of thetwister head, so as accurately engage the tie wire in the cs1- tion shown in Fig. 6 and accurately d iver the wire to the'twister head jaws as in Fig.

7, a limiting means is employed consisting in the construction illustria'ted, of a follower rod shuttle block reaches the limits respectively of its rocking or pivotal movement on the spindle of the orbital arm. Various means may be employed for closing the clamping jaws of the shuttle when it reaches the initial position, in order to cut the tie loose and engage the free end of the tie wire for a subsequent operation, the means illustrated in the drawings being a rocker frame'93, fulcrumed as at 94.- and actuated by a cam 95 on the exterior twister shaft, said rocker frame having an arm 96 which occupies a position above the tail 85 of the shuttle clamp as the latter reaches the prescribed position. The downward stroke of the arm 96 upon the tail of the clamp serves to produce the desired operation of the clamp and cutter.

The operation of the machine may be described as divided into. periods of four units each. During two of these units the carrier is' moved forward and positioned for the next twisting operation, during the succeed ing single period the shuttle moves from the position of grasping or engaging the extremity of the tie wire to the position of delivery of said tie wire to the jaws of the twister head, and during the final unit of operation the twister is rotated and the shuttle is returned to its initial position. The periodic operation of the twister is elfected as hereinbefore described, by means of the oscillatory rack 66 and cooperating parts, controlled by the tappet arm 69 and the tappets 70 and 71, and in order that a proper operation as above described of the shuttle may be effected, motion being communicated thereto from the continuously rotating crank disk 87, it is necessary that dur-' ing two units of the period of operation of the machine, said crank disk shall move without afiecting the rack 86 which .communicates motion to the pinion 78. To this end a break-joint pitman 97 is employed to connect the wrist pin 98 of the crank disk with the rack 86, said pitman consisting of the pivotally connected members 99 and 100 is represented on the drawings Fig. 1, as a"b-0, and to be extended or brought into .substantial alinement and thereby communicate motion to the rack during the movement of said wrist pin through the path represented by cda in said figure. The member 100 is. shown extended beyond its pivotal connection with the member 99 to form a limiting arm 101, adapted to be brought into contact with a stop pin 102 on the member 99 when the said members are extended, and said limiting arm also has'a function as a means for maintaining the said members in their operative positions during the movement of the wrist pin from d to a, While the shuttle is returning for a new-engagement with the tie wire, the break- 1 ing of the joint or disalinement of said members being effected "at the pint a by reason of the increased resistance to the movement of the rack, due to the fact that the shuttle has reached the limit of its movement effected by the rack and pinion.

What is claimed is 1. A carrier having sack holders, means for intermittently moving the same, a twister having wire-engaging means, an oscillatory shuttle for engaging the wire and traversing a path around a sack neck in the holder presented by the carrier and mechanism for intermittently actuating the shuttle during the interval of rest of the carrier.

2. A carrier having sack holders, means for intermittently moving the same, a twister having wire-engaging means, an oscillatory shuttle for engaging the wire and traversing .a path around a sack neck in the holder presented by the carrier, and mechanism for intermittently actuating. the shuttle during the interval of rest of the carrier, said shuttle having an orbital arm and a reversible body carried thereby and provided with wire-engaging means.

3. A carrier having sack holders, means for intermittently moving the same, a twister having wire-engaging means, an oscillatory shuttle for engaging the wire and traversing a path around a sack neck in the holder presented by the carrier, and mechanism for intermittently actuating the shuttle during the interval of rest of the carrier, said shuttle having an orbital arm, a body re- 7 versibly mounted upon said arm, and .wire

cutting and engaging means carried by said 7 body. i

4;. A carrier having sack holders, means for intermittently moving the same, a twister having wire-engaging means, an oscillatory shuttle for engaging the wire and traversing a path around a sack neck in the holder presented by the carrier, and mechanism for intermittently actuating the shuttle during the interval of rest of the carrier, said shuttle 'having an orbital arm, a clamp-carrying body reversibly mounted upon the arm, and

traverslng a path around a sack neck in the holder presented by the carrier, and mechanism for intermittently actuating the shuttle during the interval of rest of the-carrier, said shuttle havingan orbital arm, a block reversibly mounted upon said arm and car;

rying a wire-engaging clamp, and means for limiting the movement of said block relative to the arm, the same including a follower pivotally connected with the block, and stops on thelatter for engagement with said follower.

' 6. A carrier having sack holders, means for intermittently moving the same, a twister having wire-engaging means, an oscillatory shuttle for engaging the wire and traversing a path around a sack neck in the holder presented by the carrier, and mechanism for intermittently actuating the shuttle during the interval of rest of the carrier, said twister having 'a wire-engagin head consisting of relatively rotatable dis for engaging the wire. 7. A carrier having sack holders, means for intennittently moving the same, a

twister having wire-engaging means, an oscillatory shuttle for engaging the wire and traversing a path around a sack neck in the holder presented by the carrier, and mechanism for intermittently actuating the shuttle during the interval of rest of the carrier, said twister having a head consisting of relatively revoluble disks provided with wireengaging notches, means for imparting rotary motion to one of said disks, and meansfor yieldingly resisting the rotary motion of the other disk.

8. A carrier having sack holders, means for intermittently moving the same, a twister having wire-engaging means, an oscillatory shuttle for engaging the wire and traversing a path around a sack neck in the holder presented by the carrier, and mecha: nism for intermittently actuating the shuttle during the interval of rest of the carrier, said twister having a head consisting of relatively revoluble disks provided with wireengagi'ng notches, telescoping tubular shafts respectively carried by said disks and provided with registering lateral openings forming a wire guide, means for applying provided with registrable notches forming jaws a rotary carrier provided with bag holders, and means .for imparting an intermittent movement to said carrier to successively present the holders to the twister, each holder having relatively movable jaws, and

a jaw-operating element for alternately opening and closing the same.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SETH A. WELLMAN.

Witnesses:

E. W. WORK, S. W..Wm'1'n. 

